Frank Lampard feels the heat

FRANK LAMPARD insists the pressure has been on Chelsea to win the Champions League from the moment Roman Abramovich walked through the door.

Lampard says the players want to conquer Europe just like the owner does

The failure to satisfy the Russian oligarch’s craving for Europe’s biggest prize has created a football killing field of men charged with turning the dream into reality.

Managers like Claudio Ranieri, Jose Mourinho, Avram Grant, who came within a penalty kick of landing the holy grail, Luiz Felipe Scolari and Carlo Ancelotti have perished.

On Tuesday, it’s Andre Villas-Boas who is required to place his head above the parapet as Chelsea’s latest continental campaign gets under way, with Michael Ballack back in town with Bayer Leverkusen for a reunion with Lampard, John Terry and co.

Lampard admits the pressure has been relentless at Stamford Bridge since Abramovich’s arrival eight years ago. He said: “The pressure’s been cranked up from the moment Abramovich came into the club. The owner obviously wants to win the Champions League, but it’s not just the owner – the club and the fans want to take that extra step.

The pressure has always been there. We’ve been so close and there’s been frustration

Frank Lampard

“But to be fair, the best team in Europe doesn’t always win the Champions League. We’ve seen that quite a few times.

“Considering what we have achieved in the last six or seven years, it’s obvious to say the one thing outstanding from our trophy cabinet is the Champions League. I wouldn’t say that’s the only reason managers have been sacked though.”

Lampard admits the pressure on Chelsea to win the Champions League for the first time in their history grows every year. He said: “We’ve got a top, top squad of players, and the pressure might get even more because every year people harp on about the fact that we haven’t won the Champions League.

“The pressure has always been there. We’ve been so close and there’s been frustration, obviously.

“Every year we go in with the same attitude. But it seems to get tougher every year because the quality – particularly in Spain, particularly at Barcelona – has raised the bar.

“We have to get into our rhythm. The new players have to settle in. Juan Mata looks a very good signing.

“We go into the Champions League with our usual confidence. Every year the competition is all about what form you are in come February, when the knockout stages start.

“At times we’ve been embarrassed and have been knocked out just as we’ve been getting to our best. But I’d like to think we’ve raised the bar as well.

“Last season was a disappointment in terms of not winning anything, but I think there’s a real freshness about the club. They’ve invested in youth, and that may take a little time to come through, but the club is ambitious and always pushing.

“Barcelona is the model. They are the outstanding team of recent years but there’s no way Chelsea are that far behind. We have to believe we can compete with the best, even when it comes to playing Barcelona. We’ve shown that in the past.”

Tottenham’s Luka Modric dominated the transfer talk surrounding Chelsea in the summer, and although the Croatian midfielder is still at White Hart Lane, Lampard is happy with the capture of players like Valencia winger Mata and Liverpool’s attacking midfielder Raul Meireles.

He added: “Mata looks very sharp, has a great first touch and a real awareness about him. I’ve only heard positive things about him from everyone I’ve spoken to.

“In his cameo of 20 minutes against Norwich on the opening day of the season, he showed us a lot to get excited about. Maybe he can be that missing link in terms of creativity and giving us that little bit of difference people have talked about.

“I think Meireles is a very good player. It was almost a low-key transfer because everyone was talking about the Modric deal. But I have talked to people at Liverpool about him and they speak very highly of him.

“He’s a very good footballer, very good with the ball. He gets around and scores goals. I don’t know about the bids for Modric but I can say we are very happy to have Meireles.”

Tuesday will also see the return to Stamford Bridge of former Germany international Ballack, a prominent figure in Chelsea’s success on and off the pitch.

Lampard said: “It is very nice that he’s coming back. He’s held in very high respect at the club.

“Michael was a great man, a big part of the group, with a big personality. I think the fans and players respect him as well. We look forward to seeing him.”

While the Bayer Leverkusen star has bowed out of international football, having acknowledged a new era for the German team, Lampard believes that at 33 there are still some miles left in his own tank with England.

Lampard was left out of the starting line-up in Bulgaria but was reinstalled against Wales at Wembley on Tuesday night.

He admitted: “It would be very easy to bale out at any time from England and then not get any pressure.

“Once you get to a certain age, you understand that people will always talk. A bad game at 25 is a blip – a bad game at 33 is the end. If you didn’t get picked for a certain amount of time, I think the writing would be on the wall.

“And if there was a time when physically it would be beneficial for me (to retire from internationals) to prolong my Chelsea career, then that would be another thing to look at as other players have.

“I certainly don’t feel that at the moment. I respect anybody who has done that. Everyone makes their decisions – family decisions, professional decisions – but I am not like that.

“I’m very proud and I don’t want to look back when I’m old and think, ‘I could have done a little bit more there. I could have been part of a group who did something’.”